Playstation 3 Expensive?

[Vandenh]

IGN has a little article about a possible price (http://ps3.ign.com/articles/615/615745p1.html) for PS3.
According a an article published in the May 17th edition of Japan's Mainichi Shimbun, the PlayStation 3 could be one of the most expensive mass-market videogame consoles ever created. Officials from Sony apparently told the newspaper that PlayStation 3's would sell in Japan for "less than 50,000 yen each." That translates to about $465 US dollars.

So it looks like the roles have been reversed between MS and Sony. With the weak financial situation of Sony I hope they can absorb this price. The next "battle" could be make or break for all parties.

[raVen]

Eeps, this is bad for Sony, but also for the consumer I'm guessing...

MS might feel less threatened after hearing about this price point, and may not feel the need to price the 360 competitively for a long time. Sigh...

[Tyrant]

They already lost $500 million in the previous quarter. I can't imagine the PS3 will do much in the way of minimizing another loss of that magnitude.

[sTubbs]

I think the reason that neither Sony or Microsoft have mentioned anything about price so far is that they are both afraid to speak first. It seems very possible that the PS3 and 360 will be priced considerably higher than the normal 300 dollars, and I doubt that either company wants to be the first to admit this. After all, if Sony came out tomorrow and confirmed this 465 dollar price tag, then it would allow MS the chance to price their console lower, thus giving Sony a bad first impression and forcing them to play catch up. If anything, I expect the final price of the consoles to be exactly the same, as a lower price, no matter how slight, would be more than enough to steer people towards one system over the other.

I suspect that Sony will announce their price when the PS3 hardware is closer to production, and, for the reasons stated above, I believe that MS will wait as long as possible with the hopes that Sony will release the PS3 price before the 360 release. In my opinion, it would be a smart move for Sony to delay the price until well after the 360 launch, as they could then do everything in their power to sell the PS3 at a lesser price point than the 360, thus putting Microsoft in the embarassing position of having to lower the price of the 360 early in its cycle.

PS: If the prices are indeed going to be higher, especially this much higher, then the net gen console life better be damn well higher than four years.

[Phades]

I'm guessing $399 for both systems. I simply can't imagine it being more and expecting it to sell (I won't even pay that much, I can wait........ maybe). That said, I think there's a good chance the Xbox 360 could come in at $299 but I really doubt the PS3 will make that.

[Vandenh]

True... but if there is anything that MS can do it is killing Sony in a price war. Sony should be really careful with the PS3 beast... The 360 is obviously made to be a lot more lean and mean (why all the memory slots on PS3??? I have a USB connector for that?). Nintendo will almost certianly also make a more lean console. I would assume the PSX should still ring a bell in the ears of Sony? Even in Japan nobody would buy it ;) Maybe the tiny revolution will take Japan ;)

[Vilderen]

Bad news, even worse for us Danes, the PS2 was way overpriced about $650 at launch and i'm concerned about the PS3's price being even higher than that. Off course its because of all the taxes and stuff, but still its insane :( Anyways, I'm probably still gonna start saving money :)

[rein]

People think MS is not going to be priced as high? I know it can and probably will change but right now the 360 is listed as $499.99 in our system for pre-orders.

I don't think either system will be under the 399.99 mark and expect both to be a little higher. How pissed off will people be if MS takes that window of being first to the market and jack the price only to drop it to an equivalent price of the PS3 when it launches?

I don't know what Sony's plans are but they better be prepared to take a beating and expect a MS price drop when they launch. If they are priced higher than the 360 then they have just lost every advantage they might have had with the common folk.

[Offworlder]

Anyone here remember when the 3DO first came out? Seven. Hundred. Dollars.

[Murmillo]

I was under the impression that the Xbox360 Nonhard drive verison would cost $299, while the HD version would cost $399.

[Tricky Thumb]

I was under the impression that this wasn't coming out for a year? How could they predict the market a full year from now, acurratly?

Also, I distinctly remember Sony saying something along the lines of "We don't want to sell any new console for more than $299" a while back. It's all just speculation, so there's no arguement here whatsoever.

And, it's motherfucking IGN getting word of mouth, as if IGN on its own isn't bad enough.

[Borys]

Both will be in the $300-$400 range. And no it won't be the end of Sony as some of you are prophesizing. If MS could bleed a few billions this generation why Sony can't the next one?

[MrMeatshake]

So that's going to translate to £450 in the land of pie and chips. :-/ that's going to be more than a little rediculous if they use the same bizarre 'electronics exchange rate' as usual.

[Vandenh]

>If MS could bleed a few billions this generation why Sony can't the next one?

Errr... because Sony doesn't have the money?

[ElectricMonk]

companies like sony don't just run out of money.

[Vandenh]

No they just fire 5000+ people to get more $$$ :)

Sony isn't doing very FYI... they are not only about PS. A lot of their other "products" are doing pretty badly and I am not sure if Sony as a whole wants to bleed a lot of money like MS did with XBox.

[Borys]

If Sony folds and withdraws from console business (no PS4) how would that benefit you, Vandenh?

[TRiLoGY]

So that's going to translate to £450 in the land of pie and chips. :-/ that's going to be more than a little rediculous if they use the same bizarre 'electronics exchange rate' as usual.

hehehe, about the same amount I paid for PS2 when it first came out :-)

[bapenguin]

$360 for the XBox 360
$400 for the PS3

That's my guess. Sony's machine is going to be VERY expensive to make. Not only are they using Blu-Ray, which right now a blu-ray player is retailing well over $1300, but they are the first company to use a cell chip in a large quanity.

[Mephistopheles]

One thing I always wonder about whenever there is speculation that Microsoft is making ground on Sony in the console arena and the zealots come out with frothing mouths to spout prophecy about the downfall of Sony is this: what the hell has Sony done that Microsoft can possibly appear to be the angel coming to the rescue by comparison?

Look forward a couple of years to a future in which the prayers of the zealots come true and Microsoft has vanquished the evil Sony to the pits of damnation. Microsoft now controls the hardware and software we all use to access multimedia in all its forms. They make good on their reputation for not abusing the power that comes with having a monopoly over a...Hang on a second. I forgot we were talking about Microsoft. Ah, crap, we're screwed aren't we?

I'll give Microsoft credit where it's due for doing some good things in the console areana, but at the end of the day all we're really talking about is trading one megacorp for another. I don't see why that gets some people so excited.

[dark_inchworm]

To me, the difference between one megacorp over another is that Sony is the one with the more intensely dull games ;) Or at least, IMO. And I will admit that the Xbox did start out with a pretty lame lineup.

[Syl]

Yeah, I firmy believe that microsoft is going to get the xbox 360 out for $299
PS3 is going to be $499
and the revolution will once again be $199 (if the rumors about it having vastly lower performance is correct)

I'll throw the GBA-Micro in there, probably $80 at launch

[TRiLoGY]

Obviously the cost will be a factor for people who want to buy a Next-Generation console, But as for me, I'm going to get a PS3 regardless of the cost...

[Rakael]

Me too Trilogy. Oh damn am I gonna be so broke for a while. In addition to these two (maybe 3) consoles, I also want to finance an HD TV.

[Rakael]

Its a good thing I sold my car and only have my bike now too. $100 a month for it, $400 a year for insurance, and 55 miles to the gallon. Woot!

[Vandenh]

>If Sony folds and withdraws from console business (no PS4) how would that benefit you, Vandenh?

In no way... I love the competition between MS and Sony. It has brought us low prices and lot's of games. Also I just said it seems like the roles are a bit reversed now. Interesting no?

[Furious Wang]

300 for 360 on release, 250 when PS3 comes out. 450 for PS3 and they'll still lose money on it. I still don't see this thing coming out next year. Its way too ambitious and way too much

And as far as rooting for one megacorp over another, one has its base in America and one has its base in Japan. I'll root for the good ol' U S of A thanks.

[Dirty Harry]

does anyone remeber how sony said previously that there will be a few versions of the ps3, and that there will be just a basic game player that is cheaper. NO? man you guys suck my wang sometimes.

/me puts sony stickers on his face
/obvious?

[Tetsuo]

No they just fire 5000+ people to get more $$$ :)

Sony isn't doing very FYI... they are not only about PS. A lot of their other "products" are doing pretty badly and I am not sure if Sony as a whole wants to bleed a lot of money like MS did with XBox.
I remember reading in Newsweek that Sony has lost about 3/4 of it's stock value in the last 5-6 years. I also remember hearing the anouncement after Chistmas that Kodak had overtaken them as the #1 seller of digital cameras. It's no secret that Sony as a whole hasn't been doing well at all for the last several years.

[[HATE]MyLife]

Hey, if Microsoft really wants to win this generation, they should just give away their console for free. I bet they'd sell a hell of a lot of games come launch day. Can't you see it? Everyone waiting in line for days ahead of time. No pre-orders. And the only catch would be that you have to have "I LOVE XBOX 360!!!11!" tattooed on your ass to walk away with one. That'd be AWESOME.

[Dirty Harry]

MyLife']Hey, if Microsoft really wants to win this generation, they should just give away their console for free. I bet they'd sell a hell of a lot of games come launch day. Can't you see it? Everyone waiting in line for days ahead of time. No pre-orders. And the only catch would be that you have to have "I LOVE XBOX 360!!!11!" tattooed on your ass to walk away with one. That'd be AWESOME.
I think instead of it being on your ass, you should have to get it tattooed on your forehead for being such a dick.

[netcraazzy]

I think the pressure is really on Microsoft since they are launching first. If Microsoft decides to price very agressivly then Sony will have time to try and reduce their costs so they can meet MS's price without taking too bad of a hit on each unit. If Microsoft prices the 360 rather high at launch, say $399 or $450 then again Sony will have the advantage of either matching that price or undercutting it by a few bucks to make themselves look good. Overall I think it'll be very interesting to see what pricepoint these new systems end up comming out at.

[PantherModern]

I can totally see this happening. These systems seriously pack a punch, and systems like that cost money to make. At this point, one of my friends who manages a game store told me that they are only being guaranteed 12 systems at launch for XB 360. And that's not just his store, but all of them. I think that is evidence that the 360 is being released early simply to snub Sony and to get the hardcore market that will pay anything for a system.

But I don't mind paying an upfront, one time fee for something awesome. o big deal. The real hurt is going to come when Sony and MS really start exploiting where the real money is for them--software licensing--in order to curb those rising hardware losses. Nintendo realized long ago that you make your money off of the software you license and sell, not your hardware (hence their dual focus). That is why Nintendo insists on a proprietary media that you have to purchase from them (blu-ray, ahem) as well as an up-front fee to simply make the game. I see these costs rising to nearly astronomical levels in this "HD" generation as Sony and MS duke it out, killing off smaller publishers and stalling the game market as development costs spiral towards 10 million+ per AAA title. So where is that money gonna get made back? Game prices. I predict that by next-gen we'll be paying upwards of 70 bucks a game again, and "Collector's editions" may be even higher (I remember paying 69.95 for MK 1 and FF3 on SNES when they came out, so don't say it's never happened).

Of all this pricing talk though, it may be Nintendo that gets some market share back. Though they're doing the collector's edition, high-priced-game thing too, I suppose I can't blame them too much for jumping on the bandwagon. If their next-gen hardware is less expensive to manufacture and Iwata's statements about ease of development and catering to developers to keep costs down are true, then the Revolution could allow the big N to become a developer fave and a consumer fave. I mean, let's face it...a big bulk of the industry is still parents buying for their younglings. We in the hardcore set will buy what we want when we want it, but for most people it is still the bottom line of cost. If there is a substantial price difference in system cost and game cost that flexes in Nintendo's favor...well...it could be very good for them come whatever Christmas season follows their launch.

As of right now, I am undecided as to where I am going to invest my money. If this generation was any indication, I will simply end up owning all the systems again. Cause at the end of the day, it's all about the games I want to play. I bought my PS2 for Silent Hill 2 and MGS 2, I bought an XB for Halo, and I bought a Gamecube for Eternal Darkness and Metroid. I'm sure I will be in the same situation again. As bapenguin said in a different thread a while back, I am going to be so broke next year.

[[HATE]MyLife]

I think instead of it being on your ass, you should have to get it tattooed on your forehead for being such a dick.

No, there's no room. I already have "TurboGrafx-16 Pwnz!!11!" on my forehead.

My point was really that if Microsoft were to price this thing really aggressively, that could put Sony in a world of hurt. Given the financial troubles that Sony is already having, the PS3 could be a moot point if MS releases first, cheaper and markets the hell out of the 360. Throw in Halo 3 at the launch of the PS3 and it's pretty much a done deal.

Not that I'm hoping for a scenario like this or anything... I think that the competition in the console industry is a good thing, and I'd hate to see a situation where we have only 1 system to choose from.

And if anyone here thinks that Microsoft is not already considering a strategy like this, then maybe Business 101 would help you out.

P.S. Sorry you didn't like my joke. :rolleyes:

[bKangy]

Yeah, the difference is that Microsoft can conceivably keep this bleeding act up a helluva lot longer than Sony can. Microsoft might lose a pint, but Sony will be dried up by that time.

[WileE.Coyte]

I don't think a 450 price will matter much. On the PS2 launch my buddie wanted me to go with him to get a console, he was the 6th person in line I would have been 7th, they only had 10. I felt like such a dumbass, not going that day because they were going for 700-800 $ on E-BAY. I could have taken a day off work and taken my fiance at the time, so she could get one too, and made a sweet 600-800 bucks, selling both. I even had an E-bay account then. I hope there's shortages this time.

[automaton]

Don't be suprised if the PS3 starts losing "features" over the next 8 months. They've packed that little box with too much shit. I wouldn't be suprised if they end up dropping the blue-ray drive and some of the built in wireless.

Either that, or they look at the PS3 as a way to get some of their new technology out into consumers hands. Everyone who buys a PS3 puts a blue-ray drive into a home. That is money they are making on the PS3 games and on the Blue-Ray formatted movies people purchase to watch on their PS3. It also gets cell processors out there. The more developers working on Cell processors and touting its "benefits" (if there are any), the more cells they will end up selling. Sure they will take a huge hit up front, but the benefit of proliferating their new technology will pay off in the end.

[Heretic Machine]

I'll just add this to the reasons I won't be buying a PS3 at launch...

1. Shortages: Sony has never launched with a reasonable amount of product. Fuck'em.
2. Quality: Sony's products are notorious for serious defects in their first few models.
3. Price: No way in hell will I pay over $350 for a console, -any- console.

[MosBen]

I don't think any reasonable person actually wants either Sony of MS to get beaten so badly that they drop out of the market completely, they just want them to split the market a little more evenly (I wouldn't mind if Nintendo pulled out of the hardware market and went the Sega route, but that's a bit cliche these days).

[[HATE]MyLife]

I don't think any reasonable person actually wants either Sony of MS to get beaten so badly that they drop out of the market completely, they just want them to split the market a little more evenly (I wouldn't mind if Nintendo pulled out of the hardware market and went the Sega route, but that's a bit cliche these days).

I don't think Nintendo's had a big hardware failure yet. I mean, the reason Sega dropped out of the race was really that they "mis-underestimated" the market and released a state-of-the-art 2D gaming system (Saturn) at the beginning of the 3D era. That was the point at which they lost the battle. By the time they developed a worthwhile system, the didn't have the resources to support it anymore and Sony was able to crush them under the boot of the PS2. Nintendo on the other hand, has been solidly in the game for every generation so far and regardless of anyone's personal opinion of any particular console, they've never been hurting in terms of sales.

That being said, if they don't come up with some pretty cool info soon, the Revolution could be their Saturn.

[MosBen]

Oh, I didn't mean to imply that Nintendo is *actually* about to go the way of Sega, I'd just like it if they did. I only really want to play about 3-4 Nintendo games a generation, and I really can't justify owning a console for that many games. It'd be much better for me if I could just play them on my 360 or PS3.

[Kelegacy]

>If MS could bleed a few billions this generation why Sony can't the next one?

Errr... because Sony doesn't have the money?

Have you read Forbes? I'm guessing, no. Sony is one of the richest companies in the world, brotha. i was surprised how high up they were. I looked for Microsoft, but couldnt find them in the top 50. Maybe I missed them though.

Of course, Wal-Mart is #1 and they are set to debut their new console "The Rapist" next E3.

[bobbler]

Sony is not in as bad of a spot as you guys seem to think.

They aren't going bankrupt any time soon, they have enormous resources. They have their fingers and toes into all kinds of shit that doesn't have the Sony name on it -- All big companies do. Bringing down a beast like that takes more than losing some chump change money.

On another note, this thread got me thinking about companies in general...

Its kinda funny how large corporations work together on some fronts and fight each other on others. Like Sony and Microsoft are allies in a lot of markets, yet they are duking it out with the best of em in the console market. Sony and Toshiba are allies when it comes to a lot of PS3 (the Cell) but enemies on the BD-Rom and HD-DVD.

[mister_slim]

Don't forget, the HD Era should sell a few Sony TVs.